State police and Gov. Mike Beebe say 12 people are confirmed dead after flash floods triggered by heavy rains slammed a pair of campgrounds in southwestern Arkansas.
The normally peaceful Caddo and Little Missouri rivers rose by 20 feet overnight, swamping hikers and campers spending the night in the remote and normally serene Ouachita Mountains. The area also includes second homes, hunting camps and U.S. Forest Service campgrounds.
The National Guard has been deployed with a Blackhawk helicopter to assist in rescue operations. Search and rescue units are still working the area this afternoon.
Caddo Gap is a beautiful place to enjoy the summer, and I'm sure the campgrounds were jam-packed. Here is what it looks like normally:
I can't imagine the river rising 20 feet! The flash flood swept through at about 5:30 this morning, and it's estimated that 200-300 people were in its path.
Update: The death toll is now up to 14, including children. Many people are still missing.
3rd Update: 20 dead, 60 rescued, dozens missing and feared dead.
The water poured through the valley with such force that it overturned RVs, peeled asphalt off roads, and swept away tents and their occupants.
The campground was located between the Little Missouri and the Caddo. When the water rose, the campers were trapped, and swept into the rivers.
ReplyDeleteThe camp registry was lost to the flood, so rescuers don't know how many people are missing, but they think about forty. :(
This is awful news. So sad.
ReplyDeleteThey've just corrected the death toll back down to 16. Portable cell towers are being set up, in the hope that stranded people will call for help.
ReplyDeleteIt's getting dark, and the search has been called off for the night.
From a local news story:
"Williams said 11 family members were camping when a "wall of water" swept many of them away.
Five have been confirmed as among the dead and a sixth is still missing. All but one were "pre-teen" children, Williams said."
What an awful thing to happen. There is no way on earth that these campers could have known what was about to happen.
ReplyDeleteVery sad.